Ruritanian-Elbonian War of 1925: Battle 2, Escape!

• Ruritanian-Elbonian War of 1925: Battle 1

Initial Elbonian People’s Army (EPA) attacks in the south have been repulsed by the Royal Ruritanian Army (RRA).  Meanwhile, on the North Ruritanian Plain, the RRA has simultaneously launched its own offensive (historians are still divided on who the aggressor was during the Ruritanian-Elbonian War of 1925.)

Note: I randomly Generated Scenario 13: Escape from One Hour Wargames

This was planned by the RRA high command as a limited spoiling attack to throw the EPA off balance.  The RRA send a motorized column of a reinforced rifle battalion to raid into Elbonian territory to attack a supply depot.  As they return to friendly positions, they find a blocking force in their way and scouts report EPA units are converging.  It is imperative to break through and not be swamped by the EPA!

Victory Conditions: The RRA wins if they exit at least 4 Truck and 4 Non-Truck units off of the table at the hex marked E, aircraft do not count for victory purposes.  The EPA win if they can prevent this.
The RRA Forces consist of: (deploy first in within 1 hex of hex marked A, Takes first turn)

• 1 x HQ
• 4 x Infantry Companies
• 2 x MG Companies
• 6 x Trucks
• 2 x Armored Cars
• 1 x Aircraft (Ace Pilot)

The EPA forces consist of:
Start of the game within 1 hex of the hex marked B

• 1 x Infantry Company
• 1 x Machine Gun company

Turn 3

• 2 x Cavalry Squadrons at hex A
• 1 x aircraft at point C

Turn 4

• 2 x Armored Cars at point D

Turn 5

• 1 x HQ
• 3 x Infantry Companies at hex E
• 1 x Machine Gun Company at hex E

Turn 6

• 1 x Artillery at Hex D

The battlefield

(Any suggestions on a better way to draw hex maps is appreciated)

The Battle

I used my Ruritanian-Elbonian War rules version 3. They are the definitive historical simulation of the conflict!

Here is the table set up.  The RRA column is in the upper left corner

The RRA prepares to make good its escape.  Units next to trucks are mounted in them.

 RRA Lead companies clear the first EPA blocking position

 But then take grievous losses from enfilading Maxim guns covering the choke point

EPA reinforcements begin to arrive, including air support that knocks out RRA armored cars screening the flank of the column.

 The RRA drives off the Maxim guns and tries to run for it before more EPA troops arrive

 But the EPA airforce lights up the truck column

Here we have the end game.  Most of the RRA forces are still disorganized at the choke point.  The RRA fighter ace finally decides to try to protect the convoy, but fails to do any damage and is the only survivor.  The rest of the RRA column is forced to scatter or surrender as their escape is blocked by a fresh EPA Infantry battalion supported by armored cars.

A decisive Elbonian victory!

The war continues with neither side gaining the upper hand.  So far, this is a very enjoyable and rewarding little project.  Until next time, good gaming!

Ruritanian-Elbonian War of 1925: Battle 1

As a side project, and to test out basing schemes for 1/600 scale for my Korean War project, I decided to wargame the little known 1925 war between Ruritanian and Elbonia.  Think of it as "Warfare During the Age of Poirot."

Mostly it was an excuse to do an interwar Imaginations campaign that I could use to play battles from CS Grant's Scenarios for Wargames and paint up some FT-17's.

I will post details on the armies, but here are some possible points of interest:

• I fielded both armies together for <$40 from Pico Armor's WW1 French and Russian ranges.  The armies are based on 40mm x 20mm ovals and at full strength, each consists of:
• Ruritania (French WW1)
• 1 x HQ
• 12 x Infantry Companies (bases)
• 4 x Machine Gun Companies
• 4 x Field Artillery
• 2 x Armored car companies
• 4 x FT-17 Tank Companies
• 7 x Trucks
• 2 x SPAD 13's
• Elbonia (Russian WW1)
• 1 x HQ
• 14 x Infantry Companies
• 4 x Machine Gun Companies
• 4 x Field Artillery
• 3 x Armored car companies
• 1 x FT-17 Company
• 4 x Cavalry Squadrons
• 2 x SPAD 13's
• I have a new base supplier!!!! Our Laser Cuts
• Check them out, they are half the price of other base suppliers and do the pill shape I prefer for 20th century + gaming.  No matter what shape you want, they are great, ship fast and have free shipping in the US!
• Rules
• I am of course experimenting with my own but...
• They are based on The Portable Wargames and desigend for hexes
• They are also heavily influenced by Lock anbd Load publishing's Tank on Tank rules.
• They will undergo revisions and are posted here

I will eventually get pictures of the army posted, and will play these games irregularly as the mood strikes.  There is something liberating about imaginations, though.

Now on with the show...

Recent History of Ruritania

Since the end of the Great War, Ruritania has recovered fairly quickly, not having been racked by civil war as Germany has.  As a minor member of the Central Powers, Ruritania was treated leniently by the Allies in the Treaty of Versailles.  France, in particular, sees the benefit in having a friendly, stable nation in central Europe, and Ruritania has traditional ties to France going back to the War of the Spanish Succession.

As a result, the Royal Ruritanian Army is equipped primarily with French surplus equipment as the current King has sought to modernize in the face of growing threats, including FT-17 Tanks.  The King is the titular head of the armed forces, but while he is a gifted diplomat, field command of the army falls to his Brother the Duke of Streslau, who commanded the Ruritanian Expeditionary Force (REF) during the Great War and served on the staff of Crown Prince Rupprecht of Bavaria.

The primary security concerns of Ruritania are the bellicose pronouncements by the neighboring People’s Republic of Elbonia and fear of internal communist insurrection.   Recent liberalization and the increase in the power of the Diet has diffused some of the latter, but recent border incidents have increased fear of the former.  More conservative elements of the Ruritanian aristocracy have even called for stamping out the Red Menace on their borders.

Recent History of Elbonia

The Elbonians have been one of the many small minority groups that made up the Austro-Hungarian Empire since their absorption by the Hapsburgs after the Seven Year’s War.  The breakup of the Empire at the end of the war has finally allowed the Elbonians to assert their independence, under the flag of a worker’s revolution.  

Elbonia is primarily an agricultural economy.  The People's Army is equipped with former Austro-Hungarian small arms and weapons funneled from their fraternal comrades in the USSR.  Officers and Commissars are trained by the Red Army and the troops are thoroughly politically indoctrinated.  The Elbonians have traditionally been strong horsemen, and as a result, still field a cavalry force, which was used to great effect in the Elbonian Civil War.

Currently, the Politburo in Volksburg is increasing its military readiness, both from fear of attack by the reactionary Ruritanians and a desire to free the workers of Ruritania (and Ruritanian factories and mineral resources.)  Recent border clashes with the Enemies Of The People, have led to heightened readiness.

First Blood: Elbonian Attack on the Ruritanian Border

This game was based loosely on scenario 1 from Scenarios for Wargames.  the forces are:

Ruritania (Defending)

• 4 x Infantry Companies
• 2 x Machine Gun Companies
• 2 x artillery batteries

Elbonia (Attacking)

• 6 x Infantry Companies
• 1 x Armored car company
• 2 x Cavalry Squadrons
• 2 x Artillery Batteries

Here is the terrain

The Elbonians attack from the bottom of the picture

 Over the first few turns, the Elbonians attack and clear the wood on the flank, but with casualties

 They then launch their first assault on the town.

It is beaten back byartillery and machine guns, the Elbonians then bombard the town

 The defending machine gun company has finally been destroyed, but the town is still garrisoned by an infantry company, about to be reinforced by another one.  The Elbonians launch another attack.

Despite attempts by the Cavalry to intervene, the Elbonian infantry is cut to ribbons by the Ruritanian artillery.  The Elbonian Commisar arrests the Brigade commander and calls off the attack.

There are a few rules tweaks I want to make, but it was a pretty fun game.  Playing on hexes greatly sped play.  I expect more dispatched from the war to arrive at irregular intervals, stay tuned!

Until next time, good gaming!

Orienting hexes for Linear Warfare, opinions?

Contemplating my 4" hex grid cloth and trying to decide the best way to use it for linear warfare such as the AWI and Darke Ages.  The Portable Wargame recommends using squares for this purpose, but I have this great hex cloth I want to use!

So, anyone with hex grid miniature gaming have any advice?

I see two options, here are examples using my 6mm AWI troops.

Option 1: With the grain

Like this, but the disadvantage is that you cannot make a continuous line.

Option 2: Against the grain

This option was inspired by the excellent Tigers at Minsk rules by Norm at the outstanding Battlefields and Warriors blog.

I am going to modify my One Hour Wargame variant for the AWI to hexes and am experimenting with infantry units moving 1 hex per turn.   Melee only happens when you enter the opponent's hex.  So a British line advancing on a Patriot line would look like this:

Turn 1

Turn 2

Turn 3

In this scenario, assuming a musket range of 2 hexes, the Patriots get 2 shots off at the British, which is exactly what they get in the non-hex version.

But in principle, you can see how it would work.  I am leaning heavily towards this option.

Here is what moving and arcs of fire would look like, facing changes are done inside the hex at the start and or end of the move like in One Hour Wargame.  The black arrows show 1 hex movement and the red outline shows 2 hex range target hexes.

Opinions? Am I cracked?  Thanks for looking, good gaming!

Frugal Forests for 3mm and 6mm

UPDATE: I found the source for this technique HERE and he does a much better job!

Pesky real life has been taking up my time, so I have not updated in several weeks, but I have been keeping a few hobby projects going in the background.

Inspired by The Portable Wargame, Developing the Portable Wargame, and One Hour Wargames, I have been making hex compatible terrain for use with my Cigar Box 4" hex grid mat.  One of the terrain feature you need in quantity is forests and as I will be playing with 6mm and 3mm figures, I turned to my trusty friend the grout sponge, which I have used before for making forests for 6mm.

You can see another method at the Storm of Steel Blog as well, but this is my cheap and fast method.

Disclaimer: I did NOT come up with this method, I saw it on a blog or forum somewhere and cannot remember the source.  If you originated this, please take credit!

Supplies

I used:

• 4 x Tile Grout Sponges
• 1 x Can Dark Green Spray Paint ( I used Rustoleum Camouflage Green)
• 1 cheap acrylic craft paint in a lighter green
• 1 cheap acrylic craft paint in an even lighter green
• Wide Paint Brush
• Good scissors
• Needle nose pliers
• A hex template if you are trying to make a hex shape

Step 1

I cut each sponge in half as they are pretty thick.  I then use a plastic 4" hex I bought off of Amazon (I think quilters use them), but any hex template will do, and cut the sponges into rough hexes.  You do not have to be precise as you want them slightly irregular.

I managed to get 4 hexes from each sponge.

Step 2

This gets a little messy.  First I used the scissors to shape the edges off of the pieces and then I used the needle nose pliers to pluck out chunks of foam to give each piece a more irregular forest like appearance.  Remember you are making forests, not trees.

Do this somewhere you can clean up easily, as it generates a lot of little pieces of sponge.

Step 3

Spray paint the pieces.  I mean really get in close and spray paint the heck out of them.  I did 2 coats, as the pieces soak up the paint, well, like a sponge.  Let dry thoroughly.

Step 4

Heavily damp brush your darker green craft paint on first and let it dry, I used this:

Then dry brush on your lighter green.  Use whatever shades you prefer and dry brush to taste, I used this:

Let dry! Then the pieces are ready to use and are darned near indestructible.  If not using hex terrain, you can do as I have done for my other games and make smaller or larger chunks as you see fit.

Here are some posed shots of the trees on my 4 inch hex cloth with 1/600 cold war vehicles from Pico Armor, mounted on 1.5" squares

 I hope this is helpful.  Meanwhile, I am working on a few odds and ends, including a historically accurate set of hex based rules for the Ruritanian-Elbonian War of 1925.   Until then, good gaming!